and i'll work with anyone to get it done. i'm sam liccardo and i approve this message. san francisco is in crisis and we need real experienced leadership. we need mark farrell. our interim mayor who got things done. who showed we can clear tent encampments, fight crime, and address the drug crisis. who will make the tough choices for our city's future. "i'm mark farrell. i'm running for mayor because san francisco deserves better." "i'm ready to deliver that change on day one." mark farrell. a proven leader with the experience we need. tonight, five days left. nearly 62 million votes in, and a million miles to go on the campaign trail. vice president harris

and former president trump leaving little ground uncovered in the desert west. we go one-on-one on with harris on the trail in arizona. why ms. harris says he is out of touch with women after he said he would protect women whether they want it or not. >> day one, what's your first executive action? >> plus, why nba legend lebron james is now throwing his support behind harris. it comes as mr. trump tries to expand the map in new mexico and battleground arizona and nevada. and why housing there is coloring how people see the growing economy. elon musk's battle over his million lottery checks on the campaign trail, and how his social media platform x has changed since he took over. plus, our window into how microsoft tracks misleading videos being spread to millions. the stunning murder arrest in the wilderness of montana from a 911 call about a deadly bear attack to a complete stranger's confession. on halloween, record heat across the country. cities smash highs as trick-or-treaters leave the coats at home.

return to work or else. years after the start of covid, major companies like starbucks tell their staff to get back to the office. what their ceo says tonight. and the series watched closely a world away as the city of angels celebrates, the party is just starting in japan. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening and welcome. the final days of 2024 race for president moving at a blistering pace. both vice president harris and former president trump pushing their messages in the american west tonight, looking to expand the electoral map while for harris pushing her polling advantage among women. today highlighting mr. trump's vow at a rally last night to, quote, protect women whether the women like it or not. harris calling the remarks very offensive to women. the controversial comments come amid polling showing a clear gender divide in the race with harris running strong among

women, but behind mr. trump among men. trump's trip to the west partly aimed at shoring up his strength among latino men. let's head to the campaign trail now for the latest, starting with gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight, with just five days to go, vice president harris with renewed urgency targeting key western battlegrounds arizona and nevada. >> we all know who donald trump is. this is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge. >> reporter: and now attacking former president trump for these comments about women overnight. >> i want to protect the women of our country. i want to protect -- sir, please don't say that. why? they said we think it's -- we think it's very inappropriate for you to say. i said, well, i'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. i'm going to protect them. i'm going to protect them from migrants coming in. i'm going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit us with missiles. >> reporter: late today the vice president speaking exclusively with nbc's

yamiche alcindor. >> former president donald trump has said he would be a protector of women, whether they like it or not. what do you make of that? and how does that contrast with your views on women and their rights and needs? >> well, i'll just speak on behalf of myself, but also the americans that i speak with every day around our country, regardless of their gender, which is the majority of americans believe that women are intelligent enough and should have and be respected for their agency to make decisions for themselves about whether what is in their best interests and not have their government and certainly not donald trump telling them what to do. and his latest comment is just the most recent in a series of examples that we have seen from him in his words and deeds about how he devalues the ability of women to have the choice and the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. >> day one, what's your first executive action?

>> well, my first priority, which will probably be the package of bills is about bringing down the cost of living. so it's about housing. it's about child care. it's about what we need to do to deal with grocery prices. >> reporter: tonight nba superstar lebron james is endorsing harris, posting a video and writing, "the choice is clear to me." but a former nba owner now a top harris surrogate, philly owner mark kahn is facing backlash when asked about why he had not asked nikki haley to campaign with him. >> donald trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women, everyone. it's just that simple. they're intimidating to him. >> that attack was an attack on tens of millions of women across this country who proudly support president trump. >> reporter: an nbc poll this month suggest a huge gender gap, women supporting harris by 14 point, but she is struggling with men who are backing trump by 16 points. outside her rally we

met harris supporters jenny hildebrand and kate becker who say they are deeply offended by trump's comments. >> i don't trust anything out of his mouth. i don't think he really agrees with women or supports women or respects women given his track history and what he's done. >> it's ironic that he wants the support women on his term's and not ours. >> reporter: in the race's critical final days, democrats are trying to build on that support among women, a julia roberts, urging women whose male partners who back trump to secretly vote for harris. >> you can vote any way you want. and no one will ever know. >> reporter: trump's supporter patricia montez finds that idea insulting and says the former president's comments last night don't bother her. >> looking out for women's best interests. he is not going to force somebody into anything. it's the way he talks. call it locker room talk, guy talk. it's just talk. >> reporter: and gabe, you're there at the vice president's rally in reno. we can assume she'll keep the focus on nevada later tonight?

>> reporter: yes, lester. after the event here, she has another late night rally in las vegas with jennifer lopez. and then she is expected to hit five battleground states over the next few days, including closing out her campaign in must-win pennsylvania with a large rally in philadelphia. lester? >> all right, gabe gutierrez starting us off, thanks. former president trump also in the west tonight, making a pitch to latino voters who will play a critical role in several swing states. garrett haake is covering the trump campaign. >> reporter: tonight, former president trump making one last in-person pitch out west. >> are you better off now than you were four years ago? >> reporter: including a surprising stop in new mexico, which hasn't voted republican in 20 years. >> under kamala, new mexico has seen millions of people pour across your section of the southern border. >> reporter: latinos make up half of new mexico's population, and trump's support among men makes a tempting last-minute

target. his two other stops today arizona and nevada, where new polls show harris leading among latinos, but in arizona she is running six points behind president biden's margin with latinos in 2020. and in nevada she is 25 points behind. we met michael arrevelo who is voting for trump. >> i do eventually want to own my own house. and the way it's at right now, i don't see it happening within the next four years if kamala ends up being president. >> reporter: martiem supports harris. >> 100% everything she's said about the community, women's rights, education, and immigration. >> reporter: then there is the key issue of housing. nevada's clark county, where trump campaigned today is among the toughest in the nation to buy a home, according to nbc news analysis, the medium home price now up to $452,000, among the top 15% of county prices nationwide. the vice president has proposed $25,000 in government down payment assistance. >> i will fight to help first-time home buyers with your down payment. >> reporter: j.d.

vance mocking that proposal today. >> kamala harris is trying to pass out free money to cover over the fact that her own policies are why housing is so expensive. >> reporter: all as trump is going after harris over president biden's comments, appearing to call trump supporters garbage. >> the only garbage i see floating out there is his supporters, his demonization of people is unconscionable. >> reporter: the president said he was not talking about all trump supporters. trump, after riding in a garbage truck -- >> 250 million americans are not garbage. >> reporter: overnight wearing a sanitation worker's vest in wisconsin. >> you can't lead america if you don't love americans. that's true. >> reporter: and garrett, you have some new reporting on the trump campaign strategy going down the stretch here? >> reporter: yeah, lester, the trump campaign is increasingly confident in their position nationally, will spend most of these last few days focused on the so-called blue wall states, including a final stop in grand rapids the night before the election,

the same place trump ended his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. lester? >> garrett haake, thank you. just off stage in this election, elon musk, the world's richest man and trump backer whose million dollar giveaways to voters are being challenged in court. laura jarrett reports on the latest legal back and forth. >> reporter: the effort in battle ground, pennsylvania to shut down elon musk's million dollar giveaways hitting a snag today. musk a no-should show in court today as his legal team tries to fend off a legal suit brought by philadelphia's d.a. which accuses the tech billionaire and his pro-trump super pac of operating an unlawful lottery. >> this is a case that involves state law issues. >> reporter: lawyers for musk fighting back, successfully getting the case put on ice for now by filing paperwork to move it over to federal court. musk under scrutiny for potentially interfering with the

federal election since announcing he would randomly award prize money on a daily base basis to swing state voters who sign a pledge to honor first and second amendment rights. >> if you already believe in the constitution, you're just signing something you already believe and can win a million dollars. >> reporter: the justice department sending a warning letter last week that the giveaway could be illegal. federal law prohibits paying people to register to vote. but no criminal charges have been filed. >> take over, elon, yes, take over. >> reporter: this as musk remains one of former president trump's most visible and energetic supporters this election. >> i think this election, i think it's the most important election of our lifetime. >> reporter: frequently sharing pro-trump content with his 200 million plus followers on x. and researchers say since taking the reins of what was formerly twitter, he's made changes that has resulted in for more far-right don't being amplified.

his pac now running an aggressive get out the vote operation. tonight his swing state sweepstakes climbing to $13 million winners and counting. laura jarrett, nbc news. and just days before the election, disinformation from foreign adversaries is coming faster than ever. and tech giant microsoft is on the forefront of detecting it. stephanie gosk has an inside look in tonight's vote watch. >> let's see what we have here. >> reporter: the video is alarming. ballots being ripped up in battleground pennsylvania, except the federal government says it's fake, created by russia. the microsoft threat analysis center in new york city clocked this video early on. >> i track the way hostile nation states are using the internet to manipulate opinions. >> reporter: information gathered here is shared with microsoft clients, and in part published publicly. the ballot video has all the hallmarks they these analysts say of an actor they have been tracking for

years, storm-1516. they showed us another totally fabricated story that dropped in september, falsely claiming kamala harris killed an endangered rhino in zambia. >> storm-1516 uses routinely a three-step process to launder its disinformation into western audiences. >> reporter: a cheaply made video picked up by a seemingly legit news site and then pushed on to social media. this wild story didn't go far. >> it's a lying game. with every fake story, they're getting a little better. >> reporter: of the state actors, would you say the russians are the savviest? >> absolutely. >> reporter: but in the build up on the election, russia is not alone. the team, led by former fbi special agent and nbc contributor clint watts, has been tracking iran and china as well. what are you looking for in these very critical moments? >> i think the biggest thing is a shift from influencing around candidates one way or another to the conduct of the election. so undermining trust. >> reporter: during a contentious election

the lies, he said can spread further, faster. >> when the emotions are high, people need to slow down for a second and really look at the information. >> reporter: and while americans are savvier, some of the misinformation sticks. when does it cross a threshold that it's reached so many people that it's become concerning? >> when you start to see these narratives being repeated verbatim by elected officials. >> reporter: have you heard that? >> yes. >> reporter: their advice, pay attention, be skeptical, because the misinformation will keep coming. lots of it. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. let's turn overseas now. in spain tonight, the death toll is rising following catastrophic flooding. more than 150 killed after a wall of water surged through valencia region in eastern spain, leaving behind massive piles of debris, wrecked cars, and mud. a year's worth of rain fell there in just eight hours. back here at home, after one of the driest octobers in the

northeast, it's record heat on halloween. temperatures into the high 70s and 80s across the east on up through new england. perfect weather for trick or treating in places like spooky salem, massachusetts. meanwhile, in minnesota, a snowstorm. parts of the state, including minneapolis and duluth getting between 1 and 4 inches of snow today. we'll be right back in 60 seconds with a case originally reported as a bear attack. now a suspect, a stranger is in custody for the gruesome murder of a father found dead in his tent. how police caught the tent. how police caught the suspect, - happy birthday, dad. - happy birthday! - i got you something. - we said no gifts! we had to get you something. [paper crumpling] - thank you honey - i got you this. did you do this yourself? yeahhh, i had a great teacher. happy birthday! [typing on iphone keyboard] - love you. - love you, too. love you. thank you, sweetie. this is from me. - oh? - to you. ♪ ten little toes ♪ ♪ she has his nose ♪ ♪ i am genius (whoaaa) ♪

when a tough cough finds you on the go, a syrup would be... silly! woo! hey! try new robitussin soft chews. packed with the power of robitussin... in every bite. easy to take cough relief, anywhere. chew on relief, chew on a ♪ robitussin ♪ we're back with the breaking news from montana where authorities say a suspect has been identified in the brutal murder of a father whose death was first reported as a bear attack. morgan chesky has late details. >> reporter: tonight, a stunning break and a disturbing death montana authorities are now calling murder. >> this homicide

appears to be chance encounter. >> reporter: the gallatin county sheriff arresting 41-year-old daren abbey, who they say confessed to the gruesome murder of dustin kjersem, an avid outdoorsman and father who never returned from a camp trip. >> dustin welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer. at some point this individual struck him dust the dustin kjersem with a solid piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and ultimately hit him with the ax. >> reporter: just outside big sky, dustin kjersem's girl friend and friend found his body inside the tent. the attack so brutal they told 911 it looked like a bear attack, but authorities weren't convinced. >> during investigation, detectives collected dna from a beer can inside of kjersem's camp. >> reporter: that dna led to abbey, already in custody for violating probation.

investigators believe the suspect acted alone, but tonight say his motive is still unclear as a grief stricken family clings tight. >> he was a loving, helpful and adoring father who in no way deserved this. >> reporter: morgan chesky, nbc news. and still ahead here tonight, from starbucks to amazon, as more ceos push to bring remote workers back into the office, not everyone is happy to be back at the water cooler. the growing battle, next. ement and the furnace has been exorcised. another progressive home and auto bundle fully protected from the unexpected. beetlejuice caused quite a ruckus, huh. -jamie! don't say his name. -beetlejuice? saying his name three times is how you summon him. riiight. what if i say other words in between? -does that restart it? -don't overthink it! or what if i broke it up into two parts like someone said what's your favorite bug -- beetle -- what's your favorite morning beverage? -j-- -j-- [ body thuds ] you're welcome. "beetlejuice beetlejuice," own it now on digital. [achoo!] needs,

alka seltzer plus cold & flu when speed is what you need, bounce back fast with alka seltzer plus. also try the new chewable fizzy chews. no water needed. do you believe in punishment for abortion? yes or no? there has to be some form of punishment. for the woman? yeah. and the punishment is real. women denied care, unable to get pregnant again. traumatized. scarred for life. young women who didn't need to die. now, 1 in 3 women live under a trump abortion ban. and if he's elected, everyone will. there has to be some form of punishment. i'm kamala harris, and i approve this message. introducing new eroxon gel, the first fda-cleared ed treatment available without a prescription. eroxon gel is clinically proven to work within ten minutes, so you and your partner can experience the heights of intimacy. new eroxon ed treatment gel.

do your dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? with miebo, eyes can feel ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer for the number one cause of dry eye: too much tear evaporation. for relief that's ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ remove contact lenses before using miebo. wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. what does treating dry eye differently feel like? ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ for relief that feels ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ ask your eye doctor about prescription miebo.

we are back now with a growing trend. more companies now pushing workers to come back to the office in person. but after four years working remotely, will they? here is christine romans. >> thank you, have a good one. >> reporter: the nation's largest coffee chain putting its corporate employees on notice. >> to do your job really well, i think there is a piece of this where you have to be in the office. >> reporter: the new ceo wants to enforce a 2-year-old policy. corporate staff must be in the office three days a week. >> to be a part of starbucks, you've got to contribute to the culture. you've got to show up, and you've got to bring a positive energy. >> reporter: he is new to the job. based in california, he commutes to seattle via private jet. also in seattle, amazon web services expects a full five-day return to office early next year, prompting roughly 37,000 employees to join an internal flak channel to complain. >> these companies are

saying you have to be in the office three days a week, five days a week, they're going to lose talent who demand flexibility? >> yes. and we can demand flexibility now because we didn't realize we could before. >> reporter: one study found most employers want workers in the office at least three days a week. but only 51% of employees right now actually are. and 80% of companies have returned to office policies. only 17% enforce them. some companies are quietly downsizing their big office footprints to save money, and others like spotify and drop box are now fully remote. >> 2025 will be an attempt to get people back int2 office, but ultimately, the pace of change in technology will get us all working virtually. >> reporter: for now, companies struggling to balance culture and the flexibility many workers crave. christine romans, nbc news, new york. when we come back, baseball's biggest fans celebrating their hometown hero a world away. hometown hero a world hometown hero a world ok guys, instead of getting weathertech,

i saved a few bucks and got some cheap, foreign made floor mats. but they really stink, so put these on. ♪♪ really, gary? mom, i'm thirsty. don't settle for cheap, stinky floor mats. at weathertech we make our floorliners and cargo liners here in america, out of pure non-toxic american materials. dad, next time get weathertech. they don't stink! i'm on it. find out everything we have at wt.com. when my doctor gave me breztri for my copd... things changed for me. breztri gave me... better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced flare-ups. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain... mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating,... vision changes, or eye pain occur. ask your doctor about breztri.

the biggest companies deliver an exceptional customer experience. what makes it possible? 5g solutions from t-mobile for business. las vegas grand prix chose t-mobile to fuel advanced coverage for over 300,000 race fans and event staff. t-mobile powers tractor supply's stores nationwide with 5g business internet. and t-mobile's network helps aaa get their members back on the road. this is how business goes further with t-mobile for business. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? ♪♪ now with vitamin d for the dark days of winter. do you believe in punishment for abortion? yes or no?

there has to be some form of punishment. for the woman? yeah. and the punishment is real. women denied care, unable to get pregnant again. traumatized. scarred for life. young women who didn't need to die. now, 1 in 3 women live under a trump abortion ban. and if he's elected, everyone will. there has to be some form of punishment. i'm kamala harris, and i approve this message. [car horn] i'm the team mascot, and boy, am i running late. but i've got lead in my foot and spirit in my fingers. [cheering] [car rev] ha, ha, what a hit! and if you don't have the right auto insurance coverage, the cost to cover that... might tank your season. ♪♪ so get allstate, save money on auto insurance and be protected from mayhem, like me. [whoo] [cheering]

freddie freeman to the plate, and this game has been turned upside down. >> the start of a remarkable turnaround by the dodgers last night, leading them to a world series victory. as they celebrated in los angeles, they also went wild in japan, the home of dodgers superstar shohei ohtani. we find janis mackey frayer in his hometown. >> reporter: the world series title belongs to los angeles. >> your dodgers have

won the world series! >> reporter: but the victory is sweet half a world away. in baseball-obsessed japan, viewership hit record levels. at one point, 15.9 million people watching here, more than in the u.s. that surge has everything to do with shohei ohtani, the dodgers' superstar who with teammate yamamoto are national icons here. "even at my age, i'm really awed by him," he said. nowhere has baseball fever burned brighter than in the rural town where ohtani grew up. where it all started for shohei ohtani was here on this field, practicing at least five hours a day every day to hone his skills. for young players on his old high school team, an inspiration. "ohtani is a celestial figure," he says. there is promise here, but no one like him. and so he is honored at every turn, including a superfan's

gallery of memorabilia at a hair salon. how many pieces do you have here? >> about 3,000. >> reporter: 3,000? he says there is more in storage. all week, people gathered to watch the games at community centers. the win such a huge moment of pride for japan, newspapers printed extra editions, while the team was soon back at the same field that led their hometown hero to the top. janis mackey frayer, nbc news, hanamaki, japan. and that is "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night. >> start the party, los angeles! your dodgers have won the world series!

cracking down on sideshows. the bust police just made in theso